Tag Archives: Josh Hader

The Milwaukee Brewers in 2018 had three relief pitchers with 12 or more saves: Corey Knebel (16), Jeremy Jeffress (15) and Josh Hader (12). The 2018 Houston Astros also had three relievers with 12 or more saves, the second time they have achieved this milestone in the last three seasons.

The Brewers and Astros became the sixth and seventh teams in MLB history to have three relief pitchers with 12 or more saves in the same season. Here is a look at those seven teams.

1992 White Sox (Hernandez, Radinsky, Thigpen)

2000 Braves (Ligtenberg, Remlinger, Rocker)

2005 Diamondbacks (Bruney, Lyon, Valverde)

2015 Mariners (Rodney, Smith, Wilhelmsen)

2016 Astros (Giles, Gregerson, Harris)

2018 Astros (Giles, Osuna, Rondon)

2018 Brewers (Knebel, Jeffress, Hader)

For the Brewers, it was the eighth time in their history that they had two or more relievers finish the season with 12 or more saves in the same season. Following are those eight seasons.

Both Jeremy Jeffress and Josh Hader have had great seasons up to this point and were both All-Stars this season.

Through games of July 25, Jeffress has a 1.31 ERA in 48 innings pitched over 47 games. Hader has an ERA of 1.43 in 33 games and 50.1 innings pitched.

Neither will qualify for the ERA title in the league since that honor is based on 162 innings pitched for the season. But both have a chance to put their names on the list of Brewers pitchers who have compiled some of the lowest ERAs in a season.

If we base the lowest ERAs for the Brewers in a season on pitching 50 or more innings, Hader already has the second-lowest ERA in team history (of course, the season is not over). Here are the Brewers pitchers with the lowest ERA in a season with a minimum of 50 innings pitched. (Hader is not listed because the 2018 season is not over.)

If we change the criteria to games pitched instead of innings pitched, both Jeffress and Hader have a chance to climb near the top of this category. Here are the Brewers pitchers with the lowest ERA in a season with a minimum of 50 games pitched. (Jeffress and Hader are again not listed on because the season is not over.)

For the record, the Brewers single-season record for lowest ERA in a season (minimum off 162 innings pitched) is held by Mike Caldwell… he had a 2.36 ERA for the Brewers in 1978. The second-best ERA is Teddy Higuera’s 2.45 ERA in 1988.

Here’s some free advice for the Milwaukee Brewers marketing department: Get going on producing some t-shirts made for left-handed reliever Josh Hader. The slogan on the shirt should read…

“Don’t Be a Hader” … or… “Be a Hader”

Hader is certainly putting together a season that has never been seen in baseball history, let alone during the Brewers 50 years as a franchise. Through games of May 19, Hader has 56 strikeouts in the 16 games he’s pitched. Not all that impressive; but if you consider that Hader has 56 strikeouts in only 27.1 innings pitched, more than two strikeouts per inning, that’s pretty darn impressive.

Hader is on a pace to have just under 200 strikeouts (197 to be exact) over the season. Considering that Hader has compiled these gaudy numbers coming out of the bullpen as a reliever, it’s important to point out that no relief pitcher in history has ever had 200 strikeouts in a season.

Let me be more precise: The MLB record for most strikeouts in a season by a pitcher who did not start a game that year is 181. Dick Raddatz fanned 181 in 1964 for the Boston Red Sox as a reliever who did not start a game that season.

Here’s a look at the pitchers who fanned 150 or more batters in a season without the benefit of starting a game.

The Brewers record for most strikeouts in a season by a pitcher who did start a game was set last year by closer Corey Knebel. He had 126 strikeouts. He is followed on this list by Julio Machado (98 in 1991), John Axford (93 in 2012), Will Smith (91 in 2015) and Tyler Thornburg (90 in 2016).

Will Hader break the MLB record? Will he shatter the Brewers mark? There are still a lot of games to be played this season. But I for one won’t bet against Hader. The Brewers and Craig Counsell have figured out a way to use Hader effectively and it is working. It’s definitely one thing I will keep an eye on as the season progresses.